wet behind the ears
Inexperienced; just beginning; immature (especially in judgment).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He is still wet behind the ears at his new job.”
“The manager hesitated to give the project to the intern because he was still wet behind the ears.”
“You cannot expect the new pilot to handle a storm alone when she is still so wet behind the ears and only finished her training last week.”
“Although the young recruit showed great promise, his colleagues viewed him as wet behind the ears due to his lack of experience in the field.”
first recorded 19th c.
The term first appeared in English c. 1850 in Pennsylvania, functioning as a calque of the German phrase *feucht hinter den Ohren*. The German *Ohren* provides the anatomical focus for a condition of general dampness.
The imagery is drawn from the birth of livestock. A newborn animal is licked dry by its mother in all accessible areas, leaving the crevices behind the ears as the final traces of amniotic fluid. To be so described is to be identified as a creature recently arrived, possessing the dampness of the womb and the corresponding lack of worldly experience.
- 01
all ears
Listening intently; fully focused.
- 02
all eyes and ears
Very attentive.
- 03
all wet
Utterly incorrect; erroneous; uninformed.
- 04
are your ears burning
Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.
- 05
beat someone round the ears
To beat (a person) with blows about the head.
- 06
believe one's ears
To believe that something which one hears is truly the case.
- 07
bend someone's ear
To bore; to talk too long, especially to one particular person.
- 08
box someone's ears
To slap someone on the side of the head, usually as an informal punishment.
Last updated August 10, 2026